Reading recently earned statewide recognition for the quality of its town website, readingma.gov.
At its annual meeting in January, the Massachusetts Municipal Association presented website awards to four communities — one in each of four population categories. Reading was selected among communities with 25,000 or more residents.
The awards recognize websites for excellence in customer service, functionality, convenience, and government transparency. Reading last year worked with its website vendor, CivicPlus, to redesign its website. The effort, led by the town’s business administrator, Jayne Wellman, resulted in such improvements as an upgraded search feature and the addition of an automated chat function for signed-in users, a live social media feed, quick link buttons to frequently visited departments, payment systems, and a community events calendar.
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Wellman called the new site “a result of months of consistent work by a dedicated crew of professionals working collaboratively and across our departments to deliver a robust tool to meet the growing needs of our residents, businesses, and guests.”
John Laidler can be reached at laidler@globe.com.